


Nightlife

by NearlyThornless



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Alternate Universe - Vampire, Blood Drinking, Bottom Eren Yeager, Denial of Feelings, Drug Use, Emotional Manipulation, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Inspired by True Blood (TV), M/M, Mind Manipulation, Slow Burn, Top Levi (Shingeki no Kyojin), Torture, Vampire Levi (Shingeki no Kyojin)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-12-13
Updated: 2020-01-09
Packaged: 2021-02-25 23:14:15
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 15,987
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21783520
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NearlyThornless/pseuds/NearlyThornless
Summary: Eren hates vampires with a passion. It's just his luck that his friends end up dragging him to the only vampire bar in the area.
Relationships: Levi/Eren Yeager
Comments: 33
Kudos: 271





	1. Blood Moon

**Author's Note:**

> My head wouldn't shut up about writing a vampire fic. So, here's the first chapter of what will probably be many. Enjoy!

The vampire bar is all that Eren expected it to be. All red and black, all leather and chains. Candles flicker in the corners, and it smells like smoke and alcohol, with a hint of iron in the air that he may or may not be imagining. Barely dressed women are dancing to the chaotic rhythm of a metal song while everyone is getting wasted. 

Everything about this screams danger, and promises entertainment. Which is why there are so many people in here in the first place. Well, that and the fact that lots of people feel unspeakably attracted to the idea of vampires. With so many books, movies and songs featuring those creatures, it's no miracle. Eren wonders though, how it is possible that some people actually come here with the intention of finding undying (pun very intended) love. When truly, vampires see humans as nothing but blood containers. Although it's not officially allowed to drink from customers in here, it doesn't take a genius to figure out that stuff like this still happens.

But Eren certainly doesn't want to imagine that. 

Although the bar is treated more like a tourist attraction than the dangerous place it is, Eren is well aware of the fact that he needs to be on guard. 

He would have never even set a foot in here if it weren't for his group of friends. Jean, Connie and Sasha were stubborn about checking it out at least once (it's not like there's a vampire bar in many cities) just for the experience. Although, realistically, Jean is probably here to stare at women, and Sasha and Connie seem particularly interested in the food; it's all halloween themed, which seems a bit odd to Eren. Even the names on the menu sound ridiculous.

But most likely it's a business strategy, something about making the whole thing seem less threatening, blurring the lines between real and imaginary danger.

It seems to work on the two of them, judging by the fact that they're basically drooling all over the desk as they talk about whatever it is that they want to order.

Armin looks about as uncomfortable as Eren himself, and Mikasa, well - she doesn't seem to be particularly nervous. Jean cannot keep his eyes on only one of the dancers, so he keeps glancing around, admiring their unnaturally controlled and fast movements.

Eventually, a woman comes up to them, a black apron around her waist, a corset on her upper body and a somewhat indifferent expression on her face. It's hard to tell whether she's a vampire or a human, although she somehow doesn't feel that threatening - but Eren reminds himself not to let his guard down in here of all places.

Just when they begin to order, Eren feels it. Warmth underneath his nose.

His heartbeat increases, and panic spreads in his chest. 

He curses the universe. 

"Eren, your nose is bleeding," Mikasa tells him, interrupting Sasha's extremely long order, and Eren isn't sure what to do. None of the others seem as panicked about this as he is; but his whole body screams at him to do something, and quickly. 

His nervous eyes scan the room, and thankfully, no one else in here seems to have noticed it yet. 

Except, maybe he isn't so lucky. 

Just when Eren is about to sigh in relief, he feels a weight pressing down on him, a stare so heavy that it's almost physical. 

A pair of ice cold eyes is staring right into his, but only for the briefest second. Then, whoever that is - they're gone. 

"I'm sure I have some handkerchiefs in here."

Mikasa begins to search her bag for anything that might help Eren's situation, while he holds a hand in front of his nose, trying to stop the blood from running and cursing his body for betraying him like this. Maybe his subconscious has a secret death wish. He cannot remember the last time he has had a nosebleed, and now of all times it just has to happen. Of course; his life is always like this.

Air brushes against his side then, startling him in his already anxious state, and when Eren turns around, he nearly jumps off his seat, face twisting in terror. 

It's a man, not just a man, but the very same man with those wicked, dead eyes who was just watching him from the other side of the room. 

A second ago.

He's dressed in black leather pants and a matching shirt, looking almost surreal in the dim light. Something about this dark haired man and his stupid undercut and his pale face has the hairs on Eren's neck standing up. 

He's a vampire. He has to be; for once, Eren trusts his gut instinct. 

That realisation doesn't help at all.

The brunette finds it hard to pull himself away from that gaze, like he's chained to those black pupils surrounded by silver. Like the hand of a broken clock that forever points in one direction, he's hopelessly lost.

"I thought you might need this," the man says, and Eren swallows, nervous and still keeping up the eye contact for some reason. Fear, perhaps. Most likely, because that sounds realistic. 

His voice is deep, like that of an actor or a singer, but it sounds a bit too smooth. A bit too indifferent and interested at the same time. The man doesn't seem real, there's an edge to every word of his, a threat hidden beneath the kindness. Eren wonders if he's the only one who can hear it. 

He doesn't know what to make of it, or what to say.

All he knows is that his hand reaches out for the black handkerchief the man is holding. Like a doll that's being moved by someone else, he watches his fingers as they take a hold of it without any conscious thought. 

It's unlike anything he's ever felt. 

The man's pupils grow just the tiniest bit, but it's still enough to make Eren's panic grow along with them. He wonders if the vampire can see it on his face, just how frightened he feels. 

He also wonders why he isn't shouting, throwing punches, freaking out. If there's anything the brunette isn't known for, it's backing down when faced with danger. Usually. 

"Calm down, no one's going to jump you. We make sure that everyone who works here is able to control themselves even when they smell blood. Understand?" 

And yet again, Eren nods without meaning to. 

And then, the dark haired man is gone, and Eren wipes at his nose, feeling a bit out of it. Almost sedated. 

"Are you okay, Eren?" Armin asks, and Eren nods, overwhelmed with how fast his panic just vanished. 

The waitress gives him a weird sort of look, and it's only then that Eren realises that he just kept her waiting, caught up in his nosebleed induced panic and the most awkward conversation of his life, perhaps. 

"I'll take a...," he eyes the menu for a second, only to be reminded of the stupid names that even the cocktails have, "Blood moon." 

"Very well, good choice." 

The brown haired woman writes it down, and makes her way towards the bar, which automatically causes Eren's eyes to search for that man back there, but he cannot find him. The place is only getting fuller the later it gets, and Eren hopes they won't stay for long. 

He glances at the red stains on his handkerchief, and the fog surrounding his brain slowly begins to lift. 

He blinks once, twice. And becomes accurately aware of just how strange all of that was. Like he was being hypnotised - and perhaps he was. He can't even tell.

Officially, vampires cannot do that. 

Or that's what the fuckers claim, Eren thinks angrily. He's pretty sure the man did something there, some fucked up vampire thing. He clenches his fists, fear temporarily buried by a growing rage. 

'Who does he think he is? Arrogant asshole.'

He checks the handkerchief, and when the brunette is sure that his nose has stopped bleeding, he stands up, causing his friends to look at him and interrupting their chatter. 

"Just going to the toilet," Eren explains, but heads for the bar area instead before he really bothers to think twice about it. Squeezing his way through people and vampires who are dancing in ways that have Eren averting his eyes, he tries to find that undercut again. Or those stupidly intense eyes.

He feels the loud music in his body, and it certainly doesn't have a calming effect, given the atmosphere of the place. 

But then he sees the raven, standing behind the counter with a glass in one hand, and a bottle of wine in the other. 

Eren is over there in seconds, trying to put on his most deadly look. 

"You!" he points at the vampire. 

But said vampire takes his time pouring wine into the glass and handing it to a woman with a grin. Only when that's done does he turn around to face Eren. 

Before the panic catches up with his anger, Eren braces himself and takes a step closer. 

"What did you do to me?" he asks, voice venomous and his finger still raised. 

"I handed you a handkerchief," the other replies, matter-of-factly. 

"You're a bloodsucker, don't think your human act is going to distract me from what I know you are." 

"Wow kid, you're a real bright one, huh? Who'd you expect to find in a vampire bar?" the man asks, smirking in a way that shows of his disgustingly long and sharp teeth at the sides of his mouth. For a moment, Eren can only stare at them in shock, before he catches himself and proceeds to defend his intelligence. 

"It's bad enough that there's a bar like this in the area," he declares, trying his best to put as much contempt in the sentence as possible. 

"Why are you here then?" the vampire asks, all semblence of an expression fading from his features. Eren can't help but think that he looks dead - terrifying and threatening. He's pouring yet another drink, mixing some sort of juice with liquor and adding a piece of grapefruit when he's done. Eren's eyes follow his movements, mostly because it's important to always keep your attention on the enemy.

"Because my friends believe in the propaganda that your kind is putting out there. They may be naive, but I'm not. And if you even try to touch any of them, I swear I'll-" 

"Here's your Blood Moon. I put in some extra liquor, you really need to loosen up, Princess," the vampire interrupts him, handing him the drink and temporarily throwing Eren off balance, mentally. "Oh, and you still have a bit of blood right here," he informs dutifully, pointing at a spot right above Eren's lips. 

Which Eren ends up wiping with hurried movements - he hates the idea of looking like a meal to this.. creature.

"Don't call me princess ever again!" 

"Alright, nutcase. So go on about how you'll overpower, cripple and dismember me if I touch one of your precious friends," the vampire says without even a hint of amusement, and Eren swallows, staring at the orange drink right in front of him. 

"You're insufferable! I mean it, stay away from all of us!" Eren shouts, but the background noise that consists of aggressive music nearly overpowers his voice. 

"You're the one who came up here to talk to me. Shouldn't you be over there with them, using your incredible wits and strength to make sure than none of them fall prey to 'my kind'?" 

At this, Eren halts for a second. He hates the way the vampire makes him seem stupid - as if his worries are imaginary, and his actions and words aren't justified. He knows better though, and has made a vow not to let anything the other might say alter his perception. He doesn't know what kinds of manipulation the raven haired vampire is capable of, and he doesn't necessarily want to find out, either.

"You can't harass them while you're talking to me." 

"You told me you weren't naive. You don't honestly think I'm the only vampire in here, do you? Take a sip of your drink, for both our sakes," the man says, and before Eren realises that he's doing it, he's lifting the glass to his mouth like a pet that's performing a trick for their owner.

The cocktail tastes sweeter than he expected it to, with just the right amount of sourness to it. The alcohol warms up his insides.

But, rather than focusing on the taste, he's focused on the fact that he didn't even mean to drink any of it just yet. If at all.

"You did it again!" 

"Be more specific please," the vampire asks of him, "It's honestly hard to hold a civil conversation with you when you keep spitting nonsense at me." 

"I'm not the asshole here - you used your goddamn mind control thing on me just twenty seconds ago. Don't even deny it." 

"I have absolutely no idea what you're talking about, kid," he replies with an infuriating, polite smile. Eren once again finds himself thinking about the fact that he should have brought a wooden spike to stake someone's chest. This man's, preferably. He doesn't allow himself to get too lost in his violent fantasy though, because he needs to remain cautious. 

"Don't call me kid either," he declares, but the vampire only raises a brow, preparing yet another drink that is decidedly more interesting than Eren to him. 

"All humans are kids," he says after a minute or so, which Eren spends glaring daggers at him. How he is so arrogant about being dead, Eren honestly cannot comprehend. 

"Well, then you're an old man!" he replies, trying his hardest to make it sound like the insult that it is. 

And that the vampire doesn't take it as. "Oh, you have no idea," he says instead, his voice low. Eren follows him with his eyes, warily watching as the man reaches for a pen and a scribbling pad. Before he can make out what it is that the pale man is writing down, a voice coming from beside him nearly has Eren falling off the stool. 

"Don't even bother to try and get in his pants, kid. It's not as if people haven't tried," a tall, freckled woman with a deep voice states, and Eren finds it hard to put the pieces together at first. Which is partly due to his panic, and partly due to the fact that she doesn't appear to even be one of them. Although that woman is scary in her own right, somehow. 

"I'm not.. ew. Why would I try to?! That's disgusting," he eventually manages to find the words, and they come out messily, his confusion very clear in his tone and word choice. 

"You're flattering me, Princess," the damn vampire cannot keep his mouth shut, using that horrible nickname yet again. When Eren's expression changes and he's about to continue with their endless back and forth, the woman actually laughs at him.

"Damn, maybe I'm wrong for once in my life," she comments. 

"There's a dude trying to hit on Christa," the vampire tells her, and as quick as she appeared, she's gone again. Eren helplessly stares after her; though not particularly nice, she was human company. And now he's alone (as alone as you can be in a crowded bar) with the vampire again. 

"Here." 

A piece of paper, perfectly folded, is placed right in front of the brunette, and it would be a lie to say that Eren doesn't come close to falling of his stool yet again when that monster's hand is just in front of him.

"What is that?" he asks, eyeing it suspiciously. 

"My number." 

"Why the hell would you think that I'd want your number?" Eren asks after a few moments, waiting for the man to start laughing and tell him that it's a bad joke. No such thing happens however. 

"I'd pay to drink from you." 

The statement hangs heavy in the air, causing Eren's head to almost explode as he tries to decipher the meaning of all those words together in one sentence. Coming up with an answer is just as hard, if not harder. All of this is like some weird inside joke that Eren doesn't get - he's sort of waiting for the hidden cameras to be revealed, honestly. 

"That's disgusting on so many levels," Eren ends up saying. 

"I can be very clean about it, if you want me to be." 

"I don't want you to be anything - except far away from me, asshole! Go and drink from someone else or better yet, starve," Eren tells the vampire, his own heartbeat loud in his ears. He feels stressed, overwhelmed, and most of all, offended. 

He cannot believe that he just... asked him that... As if he'd expected any other type of reaction. Which, considering that Eren is pretty outspoken about his opinions on vampires, would make him even more of an idiot than Eren already thinks of him as. 

"You haven't asked how much I'd pay you yet," the vampire says in a tone that nearly has Eren leaning over the counter and hitting him in the face. 

"Doesn't matter, I don't want your money." 

A Cheshire grin, distorted by fangs, stretches itself across the sharp features of the bartender. 

"Not money. Information." 

"You have nothing interesting to tell me," Eren deadpans.

"What if I had? Call it intuition, but I might know a thing or two about a case from 5 years ago. Someone vanished under mysterious circumstances and was found crushed under rubble. A tragic accident. Does that sound familiar somehow? " 

And just before Eren can jump up and strangle the vampire (who doesn't even need to breathe, probably), ice cold eyes are on ocean green ones again.

"Calm the hell down or that's the last word you heard about it," he says in a poisonous tone. Eren does indeed sit still, unable to move, but a rage that he hasn't felt in years is building up inside him, like gasoline poured into an already violent fire. He sees red, and tries his best to remember to breathe and count down from ten in his head, slowly. 

"You know what, as enlightening as this conversation was, I need to talk to my boss. Call me if you reconsider the offer, I might even pick up if I'm feeling generous. Now go back to your friends and stay there." 

With stoic movements and angry tears in his eyes, Eren does just that. He promises himself that the next time he sees this vampire, he'll have figured out a way to escape this fucked-up hypnosis thing, and a silver knife in his boot.


	2. 3 AM, Old Cemetery

"I want to kill him! No, all of them. Who does he even think he is, giving me his goddamn number because he wants to 'drink from me'," Eren yells into his phone, and the sigh he hears on the other end fuels his anger even more. 

He doesn't stop though. 

"I swear he's a damn pervert and he manipulated me somehow last Saturday, but no matter where I try to look this up, there's not a fucking hint of information!" 

"Eren, I know that you're angry. And I totally believe you, but you've been mad about this for a week now and I need to be up in 5 hours. There's an exam tomorrow. You do realise that you've been talking about this for days.. Maybe just.. burn his number, or something? I'm sure that's the best way to annoy him, just ignore him entirely," Armin offers in his ever peaceful manner, before yawning. 

Eren hasn't told him about that part where the asshole of a vampire mentioned his mother, because he knows that this particular topic isn't one people want to see him preoccupied with again. Not after all the trouble he has caused in his attempts to figure out the truth. Even now, every Monday, he needs to go and see his therapist to talk about his 'anger issues', as if talking would solve anything. 

"You know what, maybe I should call him," Eren concludes, and he almost feels sorry for making Armin feel like he's talking to a wall. Almost. 

"I don't think that's such a good idea, calling someone just to yell at them usually doesn't improve a situation. Especially when the person you're yelling at is a vampire. Eren, I just don't want you to make yourself the wrong enemies." 

"He's made himself the wrong enemy, not the other way around!" 

"Sure, but you're just playing into his game if you actually dial his number and hit call. Don't you see that?" 

Eren doesn't really see it, but nonetheless he fakes a moment of realisation and says, "You're right. You know what? I'll do what my therapist said and write a poem about it." 

But Eren hasn't written a poem in his entire life, and he sure as hell isn't about to start now. Which Armin knows, and it shows in his tone.

"That's.. awfully mature of you. So.. you're sure you're not going to do anything too stupid? Promise? And I can actually go to sleep without worrying?" 

"Yeah, goodnight! And good luck with the exam tomorrow!" 

"Good night," Armin replies and Eren is pretty damn sure that at this point, Armin's need for sleep is bigger than his concern for Eren's safety (which cannot be guaranteed ever anyway, and the blonde knows as much). 

Either way, it's good that it wasn't Mikasa on the other end of the line.

Within seconds, Eren holds that cursed piece of paper in his hands. Although, with how much time he has spent glaring at it, the number should be burned in his brain already, it really isn't. He takes a breath, and types the number into his cellphone. 

Someone picks up on the fourth ring.

"Ackermann," and Eren recognises the voice. 

"Fuck you." 

"Oh, it's you? I almost thought you wouldn't call," the man replies, his tone changing the moment he realises that it's Eren.

"You're not getting any blood from me, I'm calling because I want information," Eren clarifies, and the sounds in the background make it pretty clear that the vampire is probably at the bar yet again. 

"So, you want information, but you're unwilling to pay for it?" 

"I'm willing to negotiate, alright? Let's meet up somewhere and talk," Eren tells him, taking out his pocket knife and sharpening the end of a branch he has been working on. Simply hearing the man's voice has him wanting to improve his weapon - for safety's sake. He already has his silver necklace on, and to be extra safe, a rosary on top of that.

He's prepared for anything, really. 

"You're willing to negotiate.. Forgive my scepticism, but I don't think you even know what that word means, kid." 

"You're underestimating me." 

"Am I?" the question hangs in the air like the garlic Eren hanging from the ceiling in Eren's room. 

But then, the vampire sighs. 

"You sound pretty fucking eager, and my shift ends in one hour. So where did you want to meet?" he asks, and Eren takes a moment to think it over, before he comes to a conclusion. 

"The old cemetery near the forest," he says eventually, and almost drops his phone when the vampire starts laughing loudly. 

"You're mental, kid. You're telling me that you want to meet a vampire, at 3 AM on a cemetery where there's not a human soul close-by? To fucking negotiate." 

When it's said in that way, it sounds more dangerous than it did in Eren's mind, and he sure hopes that Armin forgives him for going about his plan instead of writing an angry poem about vampires.

The funny thing is that the vampire truly does underestimate him. Eren's plan might be a little insane, and people have called him suicidal too many times to count - he just really doesn't need anyone around the hear the vampire scream, if it comes down to that. So, the cemetery it is. 

He can't help but ask, "are you scared?" which only has the vampire laughing louder. 

"Your humor is almost as bad as mine. 3 AM, old cemetery. You better be on time. I'll hang up now, there's work to do." 

And it's only when he hangs up that a bit of doubt works its way into Eren's head. He doesn't let that win though, because with the element of surprise on his side and more than one weapon, he's sure that he'll manage somehow. And by the end of the night, he might just know who killed his mother. 

..

The thing about Eren is that sometimes he gets a bit... caught up in his rage. 

Even he recognises that much; it's why he's in therapy after all. He didn't expect the cemetery to be this fucking creepy at night, and his flashlight that keeps flickering definitely isn't making this any better. He's five minutes early, holding onto the stake in his pocket with his right hand, while he keeps shining the light at anything that makes a sound. 

An hour ago, he didn't even think about the fact that when it's dark, he's at a disadvantage. 

And now, his only two options are to either turn around and get the hell out of here - or to at least try and see it through. Maybe die trying.

His hand tightens around the weapon he brought, and although Eren isn't religious by any means, he says a little prayer to whoever might hear it. 

"I honestly didn't expect you to come," a familiar voice addresses him out of the darkness, interrupting his prayer. It takes every bit of mental strength that Eren can muster for him not to scream like a girl in a horror movie. He could swear that those eyes are actually glowing in the bit of moonlight that falls from the sky, and it doesn't do anything to stop the adrenaline from entering his bloodstream. He drops the flashlight, and hurries to pick it up. 

"I said I'd be here." 

"That you did. I'm wondering why, though? Sure you didn't change your mind about paying me with your blood?" the man asks, and when Eren finally has the lamp in his hand and manages to find the vampire's face with it, he unwillingly takes a step backwards. 

He almost forgot what the man looked like, or how fucking scary those eyes are. His grin that reveals the fangs is the fucking cherry on top. 

"I don't even have any proof that you actually have the information you said you had," the brunette manages to get the words out in a somewhat calm tone despite his racing heart. The vampire is too far away from him to try and attack for now, and the wisest course of action is probably to wait for a better moment. When his guard is down, preferably.

His hand is sweaty against the wooden spike in his pocket. 

"Do I look like a liar to you?" 

"You're a vampire, of course you do," Eren replies, his sass returning, perhaps as a means to cope with the ever-growing anxiety inside of him.

"You know that I can actually hear your heartbeat right now? You're a walking comedy show, pretending like you aren't terrified." 

"Fuck off, why do you even want my blood so badly if I'm that ridiculous to you?" 

"Not ridiculous, entertaining. There's a difference. As for your blood, I don't assume you're very educated about blood types?" 

Eren shakes his head, actually a bit thrown off by how conversational the vampire seems to be. It hits him in that moment just how different the situation is, compared to their last meeting. 

Where there was noise in the background, there's silence now. Where there was distraction everywhere, there's absolutely none now.

"Well, let's just say that yours smells pretty fucking alright. And your face isn't half bad either, it's only your brain that has me a little worried. But you don't need an academic degree to let me bite you, kid. In fact, you don't need to do anything other than lay back and I'm sure you'd even enjoy it."

And somehow, those words have Eren wondering just how much of an understatement 'pretty fucking alright' must be, for the vampire to make his way here after work and bother to talk to him. All because of his blood. 

It's ridiculous that he thinks Eren could possibly enjoy that, honestly. 

"So if I allowed you to bite me once, you'd tell me everything?" he asks.

"That'd be a horrible deal. One bit of information per bite. I'd also have to taste you to tell if it's even worth the effort."

And although Eren sort of expected something along those lines, he still feels the hate rise up in him. His grip on the spike tightens once more. 

"So, you really want to taste me that badly? Sounds to me like you're a bit desperate, vampire," he feigns innocence. 

"If I was desperate I wouldn't be fucking negotiating, and you'd be drained in a corner." 

"Is that a threat?" 

"What'd it sound like, kid? Either way, it's true, so make up your mind and appreciate the fact that I'm asking you, and even offering something in return." 

Eren is pretty sure that he cannot follow that particular logic, couldn't even if he wanted to. Which of course, he doesn't want to. 

Instead, his focus is on making the vampire come closer, trying to reduce the time frame he has to react to Eren's movements. He just needs to pin him down, tie his wrists up with the silver necklace, and threaten him a bit. It can't be that hard, right? 

Hopefully. 

Eren swallows his nerves, and tries to keep his voice as even as possible. 

"If you really want to taste my blood, come here and fucking do it," he says, preparing to take out his spike at any moment, but entirely unprepared for how fast the vampire moves. 

His hand hasn't moved more than a centimetre before he feels an iron grip on his wrist. 

And that damned laughter follows it, before Eren even fully realises what just happened. 

"You're a riot, kid. Now drop that toy of yours. And hold still, you fucking offered." 

And as both the spike and the flashlight drop to the floor, the noise has Eren jumping - almost. If it weren't for the fact that he's paralysed, unable to move. Much in the same way he was last week. 

Only this time, the vampire has to actually calm down and stop laughing at the situation, and it takes him a minute or two, in which Eren's entire being is consumed by fear. 

He's terrified, shocked, disappointed. All of it at once; and the knowledge of what is about to happen is the final straw. 

Warm tears run down his face, and the only hope he has left is that maybe, the silver necklace will help? At this point, the confidence is his plan is gone, and for the millionth time in his young life, he realises that he should listen to his friends when they tell him not to do stupid things. 

"You're crying now, kid? Honestly, I'd feel more empathy if you didn't want to kill me just seconds ago. Or, you know, if I had much empathy left in me," the vampire whispers against his jawline, sounding entirely too amused still, and Eren's heart skips too many beats for it to be healthy. 

Not that it matters - he's pretty sure that he'll die tonight. 

"The silver necklace is a nice touch, I have to say. Would make more sense if you weren't wearing it underneath your shirt though. There's still so much space left unprotected. Here," he says, running a cold finger across Eren's throat, "or right here." 

And Eren draws in a shaky breath in response, unable to even open his mouth and speak. 

"Allow me," the vampire says, and it's only a second later that Eren feels sharp fangs graze the sensitive skin between his ear and his shoulder. He's sure that his body reacts with goosebumps, and he's also sure that the vampire is torturing him on purpose. 

And honestly, Eren only has himself to blame for it - which makes this so much worse. He cries silently, mentally saying goodbye to everyone who ever tried to keep him out of situations like this and protect him. 

His mother comes to his mind, and the image is too painful to handle. 

A wrecked sob breaks through his trance like state, the noise loud in the silent night.

After what feels like an eternity of anxious anticipation, the most shocking thing in the world happens. 

For whatever reason, instead of piercing his skin with his teeth, the vampire pulls away. 

"Fucking hell, calm down," he says, and Eren doesn't understand a damn thing anymore. 

His heart is still wild in his chest, and the tears haven't stopped yet. He feels like he's having a panic attack, and his head cannot process the fact that the vampire is moving away instead of sucking him dry like a human juice box. 

"Consider it an act of fucking kindness alright? A word of advice, don't ever try to kill a vampire again, anyone else would have ripped your throat open, kid," the vampire says, his tone clearly pissed off. 

And just like that, the spell (or whatever else it was) is broken, leaving Eren to crumble to the floor, his knees giving out. He stays there, unmoving until his breath evens out a bit.

"It's Eren," the brunette whispers as soon as he finds his voice, unsure why he'd choose this moment of all to reveal his name to the vampire. The strange combination of thankfulness and relief must be it; and for once, his anger is actually a quiet force in the background. Eren is a bit too aware of the fact that this could have been it, and that there's truth in what the vampire just said. Despite the fact that he doesn't want to admit it, he feels like he has to. "What's your name?" 

The vampire is either shocked or confused, or maybe still angry - either way, he stays quiet for almost a minute before he answers. 

"Levi Ackermann." 

"Okay then, Levi," Eren says, his voice still raspy, "I might actually be willing to negotiate."


	3. Sweet Poison

"Alright. So what's your offer?" the vampire asks, and Eren seriously doubts his own sanity, because this isn't what he planned. He planned to get out of this without even having to offer anything. If his blood is the only thing that Levi is interested in, he isn't exactly left with many options though. 

For the sake of finding out what really happened to his mother all those years ago, Eren would go to just about any length. But this? 

The display of 'kindness' was in no way enough to make him trust this... man, but what options does he have at this point, honestly? Eren stands up, and glares at the darkness in front of him, but tries to remain as calm as possible. It feels like blackmail, much rather than a deal.

"You don't want anything from me except my blood. And I want to know what happened to my mother. So, if that's what it takes, you'll get my blood - but you're not biting me. I'll.. fill a bit of it in a glass or something. After you've told me about her," he tells Levi, forcing the words out although he really doesn't want to say any of it. 

The vampire remains quiet, and Eren cannot see much but his outlines as the clouds make way for a bit of moonlight to pass through. 

"Drinking out of a glass is about as shitty as it gets, I don't accept that offer," Levi replies after a minute. He sounds cool, collected; bored, even.

And Eren cannot believe his ears, because, did that asshole just shoot down his offer even though Eren made 10 metaphorical steps in his direction, and offered him his damn blood? What more does he want, to sink his damn teeth into Eren's skin and fucking suck the blood right out of him? 

Probably, yes.

His anger rises at the sheer arrogance of the undead fucker, and the desire to punch him in his stupid face comes right back. The knowledge that he probably couldn't land a single blow thanks to his superhuman reflexes does nothing to better his mood. 

"Fine, if you don't fucking want it, then shove your deal up your ass. I don't fucking need you to figure out what happened to her, I'll do it by myself!" he shouts, and just as Eren is about to turn away and march right back home, the vampire grabs him by the arm and pulls him much too close, much too fast. His grip is like iron; like metallic handcuffs that are sure to leave bruises. 

If it weren't for the strength of his hold, Eren would have definitely dropped to the floor, all balance lost. More so than the strength however, he notices that the fingers are cold. Not ice-cold, but way below Eren's body temperature nevertheless. Both of those realisations have his heart beating faster yet again. 

He cannot just ignore the fact that Levi could change his mind at any point, and decide that Eren isn't worth the effort. In fact, it still confuses Eren that he didn't suck him dry when he had the chance. 

Eren basically handed himself to him on a silver platter by coming here, he can't help but think. He regrets his lack of planning by now.

But maybe Levi isn't the type to go for an easy meal - he certainly reminds Eren of a cat that catches a mouse not necessarily out of hunger, but rather out of boredom and a sadistic streak. 

Maybe it isn't just his blood he wants, but his terror as well.

Levi could probably snap him in half if he desired so - and yet, despite that power dynamic, Eren feels like he deserves to be treated with respect. Although Levi is dead and probably way past caring about personal boundaries (especially those of humans) and such at this point, Eren has half a mind to try and punch him with his free hand. 

Why he reacts to anxiety by turning it into aggression... it's hard to say. 

"You're honestly annoying me at this point, Princess. In fact, I'm not sure why I haven't killed you yet. But don't think for a second that you're going to be the one making demands around here." 

Just as Eren is about to ask what exactly that is supposed to mean now, Levi's eyes seem to brighten up, like light behind a curtain. 

"Go home, and call me when you've made up your mind. I get to taste you, under my conditions, and you get information - that's the offer. I'm done trying to 'negotiate' with a kid. You're wasting my night." 

And of course he does whatever it is that he does to turn Eren into this shell of himself that follows his every (at times even unspoken) order like a marionette. He can only hope that the hatred in his eyes is enough to convey the message that he's definitely not accepting defeat. But his willpower isn't nearly enough to fight the urge to do as he said. He walks away with small steps, legs still shaky, and the cold hand on his wrist lets go as Eren starts to move.

This time, he doesn't feel quite as lightheaded, and that somehow makes it worse. During the entirety of his walk back home, he's forced to replay the events of the evening. 

And then there's the fact that he's angered the vampire, apparently to the point where he refuses to back down at all. Eren made nothing better with this meeting; he messed up and basically told the asshole that he doesn't even need to hear what he has to say. 

When truthfully, he has no way of figuring any of it out. His father refuses to talk about what happened, and Eren doesn't have insight into the police files or much of anything to go by. 

Except for the feeling that has been there from the moment he was informed of his mother's death. 

That it doesn't add up; that she wouldn't have just disappeared, only to be found crushed beneath an abandoned building, days later. 

Coincidentally, right around the time when vampires revealed their existence. And his mother supported them in the same way she'd supported every minority - only that vampires didn't need support. 

In fact, Eren is entirely convinced that those connections are what lead to her murder. She meant well and was punished for it by creatures with no soul, no empathy.

Like Levi. 

He doesn't call or consider it an accident, never has. It's clear as day that vampires were involved in it, and yet everyone has been telling him for years that it's an unjustified speculation. Just a kid trying to look for someone to blame, taking the easy road. 

He punches the wall the second he enters the house, and winces in pain at the impact. The rest of the night is a blur of tears. Angry ones, sad ones, and frustrated ones. 

Unless he wants to give in to Levi's demands, his only option is to go to the bar again, and look for someone else who may have insight into the case. Going to the enemy for information may not be the wisest option (especially since he wants to stay as far away as possible from vampires), but all of this... has rattled him. 

If Levi knows about his mother, there's a chance someone else might do, as well. And even if the chance is small, he couldn't possibly forgive himself for not even trying - so he settles on going there tomorrow night, once he's done with his evening shift at the cinema. 

...

In all honesty, after the events of the last night, Eren would much rather not be standing in front of the bar all alone, giving himself a mediocre mental pep talk. Asking his friends to accompany him was definitely not an option though, because his dislike for vampires is common knowledge at this point. Everyone knows - and they'd inevitably ask questions. Questions Eren can't answer without talking about his mother, and all of his friends are of the assumption that he's... mostly over it by now. Thanks to the weekly therapy sessions, coupled with the idea that time heals all wounds. 

They think that he's given up. They want him to, out of worry about his mental health.

And in a sense, it's understandable. As Eren enters the building and the loud music slaps him in the face... he, too, worries about his mental health. Eren put on a dark brown turtleneck for this, not too keen on exposing much skin here, but that doesn't do much to help him feel calmer. Not that he expected anything else from the bar. Of all the things people come here to feel, calm definitely isn't on the list.

He's a bit earlier than the last time, and things aren't quite as wild yet. Unsure where else to go, he heads towards the bar (which is also the best place to chat up people who might be able to give him information, of course), and drops down on one of the stools. There's only one woman dancing this time, and in total, it can't be more than 30 people in here. 

Only 6 of them are sitting by the bar, and Eren tries his best to figure out which of them (if any) might be a vampire. The fact that many people come here dressed scandalously and wearing tons of white powder and even contact lenses doesn't help. 

But there's a distinctive feeling... a sense of dread that someone in a costume cannot inflict, at least that's what Eren hopes.

Thankfully, there's no Levi anywhere in sight, and a petite, blonde woman is throwing the bar instead. After two minutes of sitting there and analysing the people around him, she comes up to Eren and asks him what he wants to drink. Even asks for his ID. 

"Sorry, we can't take any chances. Age is hard to tell when most people around you look hundreds of years younger than they are. Humans are hard to guess these days," she informs him, and it's only then that he realises that she's one, too.

It's less obvious, which somehow makes it scarier; with an utterly human smile, and sort of a cheerleader vibe, Eren would have easily mistaken her for a human. 

"You don't have fangs," he blurts out instead of ordering a drink. 

Blue eyes blink at him, before she breaks out into laughter. 

"You're cute, but I'm into girls. You, uh. Know that's they're not always out? Only when a vampire gets.. excited," she informs him. 

And no, Eren did not know that particular bit of information. His brain is still busy going through his interactions with Levi, piercing together the fact that his fangs were out when he was talking to Eren and that probably means - 

"So, what drink did you want?" 

He's pulled out of that train of thought thankfully by the question , but Eren is pretty sure that his face feels hot, and he's also pretty sure that's an anger thing. Levi is an asshole, and Eren doesn't care whatever disgusting thoughts there are in that brain of his. His eyes scan the list of drinks above the black fridge, and he hurries to pick one. 

"I'll take a.. Sweet poison?" 

"Sure," she smiles, and walks off to the girl sitting in the corner, taking her order as well. 

Eren's eyes remain glued to her for a second or two - she's blonde as well, with scary looking eyes, light blue and terrifying. Although she appears to be around his age, there's a high chance she's yet another vampire. He decides that he has to start somewhere, and at least she's wearing a band shirt. Which means that he can just compliment her on that and leave if the conversation turns bad. 

Which, realistically, it probably will. She's less scary than the older men and women sitting around, though. 

Eren waits until his drink arrives, grabs it, and makes his way over to her. 

"Hi," he starts, eyes scanning the blonde from top to bottom; he finds it incredibly hard to tell what she is. While talking to a human may be more comfortable, it definitely wouldn't help as much as talking to a vampire.

"Hey?" she replies, tilting her head. Her hair is tied up in a loose bun.

"Mind if I sit here?" Eren asks, using his polite voice, one he doesn't use often. Talking to girls he doesn't know isn't something Eren particularly enjoys, mostly because he feels like he has a tendency to accidentally insult them. Luckily, Mikasa is used to it and tells him to fuck off, while Sasha doesn't even give enough of a damn to be offended when he tells her that she eats like a pig. 

Having a faster mouth than a brain can truly be a curse at times. 

"Go ahead," she replies, "I don't care." 

She keeps turning towards the door though, as if waiting for someone to arrive. But then again, she'd have said something if that was the case, right?

So instead of asking, he nods and sits down. 

When her drink arrives as well, Eren is sort of relieved and sort of disappointed to find that it isn't red. It's a glass of sparkling water.

Not a vampire then. 

As if noticing his gaze, she asks, "What is it?" 

And Eren feels caught somehow, once again too obvious to hide his thoughts. So he doesn't even try to. 

"I was wondering if you were a.. Vampire, you know. Apparently not though," he admits. 

That's when her eyes harden, and Eren instantly realises he said something bad, apparently. 

"I'm not one of them," she spits out, clearly enraged by that simply comment and Eren wonders if maybe the old man beside him would have been easier to talk to after all. 

"Why are you here then?" he asks, though realistically, one could ask him the same thing. 

"Business," she cryptically tells him, and takes a sip of the water. At that point, the conversation turns silent, and the two of them just sit there awkwardly. He isn't sure how to end the conversation, or whether just going away would be rude, so he just waits. Eren has almost finished all of the drink by the time she suddenly stands up. 

He doesn't realise what is going on, all he knows is that quicker than he can even react, she's out of her seat. And handing Eren something. 

Something that looks like a bottle of cough syrup. 

"Do me a favor and meet me outside in two minutes, and give it back to me then," she whispers so fast that by the time Eren nods, the girl has already made it across the room, squeezing past a tall guy in the doorway who gives her a particularly long look. 

And then, his eyes turn to Eren.

Who has officially no clue what is going on at all anymore. All he knows is that what he just saw in her eyes was definitely panic, and for someone with such a stoic expression to show that much emotion - this can't be good. 

He decides within just one second that maybe it's his time to leave as well. He can always come back for more research tomorrow, but this was an utter failure. Something in the atmosphere of the room has shifted, as if everyone suddenly went quieter. 

And still, the tall, brown haired guy is looking at Eren in a way the brunet finds hard to decipher. It could be anything from interest to hatred, and the entirety of the weight of that spectrum doesn't sit well with Eren. 

His body tells him not to get closer to the creep at all, but his mind replies that it's only for two seconds before he can make it through the door, give that girl her medicine (or god knows what) back, and go home. Home, where he's left alone. No creepy vampires or strange humans that confuse him; just him and his Xbox. 

That sounds better than hanging around here, hoping he might stumble upon someone who can tell him about his mom. 

He avoids eye contact, and rushes right out, sighing in relief when the fresh air surrounds him once more. It finally feels like he can breathe again. 

"Him," he hears a dark voice behind him then, and a horrible feeling overcomes Eren as he takes quick steps in the right direction, pretending like he has somewhere to be, and fast. 

And the next thing be knows is that two people grab him - one from behind, and the other stuffing something into his mouth quicker than he can use it to scream for help. A strange smell that probably isn't a good sign at all fills his nose, and though Eren has never had the misfortune of figuring out what chloroform smells like, it's the first conclusion his brain draws. 

The last thing he notices is that he's being pulled away towards some sort of back door roughly, before his consciousness leaves him and everything becomes a blur.


	4. Vampire Blood

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thanks to everyone who reads this, and for the comments and kudos as well!

Eren's face hurts. 

His mouth tastes like blood, his lips feel swollen, and his throat is dry. It feels like there are bruises blossoming all over his body, and both of his hands tingle from a lack of blood in them. When he slowly manages to open his eyes, he's overly aware of the fact that he's blindfolded. Apparently chained to a wall or something, in a room that's too dark to see even a hint of light through the fabric concerning his eyes. Worse yet, the way he is chained up doesn't leave much room for movement, or attempts at getting rid of the blindfold at least. 

That's when the panic hits him full force, and he tries to free himself, only to come out unsuccessful. All he really manages to do is hurt his wrists more, metal biting into his skin as his movements grow more panicked. 

That's when it hits him; that he tried to kill a vampire, and now this is what he gets in return. There isn't a doubt in his mind that this is how he's going to die, chained up and hurting all over. 

He wants to scream, to insult whoever did this to him, but for once his survival instincts are actually there, and he keeps his mouth shut. 

He doesn't want anyone to notice that he's awake, but that plan doesn't work out. It takes only minutes before he hears the sound of a door opening and closing, heavy footsteps following it. He struggles trying to somehow see through his blindfold. But he has no clue who it is that enters the room, and panic sets in when an unfamiliar voice speaks out. 

"You're finally awake," a man comments, and Eren cannot only listen to every noise as he's coming closer. 

He wants to stay quiet, and yet he doesn't. 

"What's going on?" 

Silence follows, and each second that goes by without a sound makes him more antsy. Eren tries once more to somehow free himself from the handcuffs, but the rustling of the chains is all the result he gets out of it. The sound is sickening, a reminder of just how helpless he is. 

"I could ask you that, asshole. Where's the blood from." 

The question doesn't even make a hint of sense, and the way it's spoken it doesn't even sound like a question. Eren has no clue what he's supposed to say, what the best answer to that could be. 

"Blood?" is all he gets out, his voice raspy. 

"The fucking vampire blood," the man halts in front of him and says the words right into his face. 

It doesn't answer any of Eren's questions, though. If anything, the answer serves to confuse him more. He stays quiet this time, going through his options. 

"Answer," the voice presses, and a hand drags the collar of his turtleneck down with brutal force, nearly making him choke. Something is pressed to Eren's collarbone then, cold and horrifying. He can only guess that it's a knife, and his body starts shaking at the thought of that, goosebumps covering his skin instantly. All he can really think about is the fact that he doesn't want to die like this - it's his second time visiting the vampire bar, and he's chained to a wall, about to be killed by a stranger. Only 19 years old, and about to die all alone, probably to be never discovered.

As if all of his worst expectations turned out to be true. 

"I don't know what you're talking about," he replies, his voice a mess, words rushed. Tears are falling from his cheeks freely, and his breathing is labored but he tries to keep still, terrified of the blade that is touching his skin. 

"Wrong fucking answer." 

And then Eren screams. 

The reaction to his words is instantaneous. Without a hint of hesitation, the knife sinks into his flesh, parts the skin and slides along the outline of his collarbone. He tries to back away, but his back hits the wall and the bitter truth is that there is no escaping this.

Warm blood from the cut runs down his chest, like a dropping curtain.

He's hyperventilating, struggling to keep it together and not have a full on panic attack. Already overwhelmed, the next words he hears don't really make their way into his brain straight away. 

"Don't fucking play dumb. I can keep cutting you up all day long, and we both know you're going to crack. You better do that before the vampire arrives," the man threatens, and if Eren had any info to give, he would have done so already. 

But he doesn't know what is going on, all he knows is that the terror of the situation is fucking with his capacity to find words at all. The thought of a vampire showing up horrified him even more than the knife that's still pressed to his chest, or the pain present in just about every part of his body. 

"You're mute now? Let's see if we can change that."

And it changes the second the blade presses into his skin yet again; Eren's body convulses and he feels like throwing up. But instead, only another scream of terror comes out of him. It's both pain and disgust, both hatred and fear. 

More blood; more uncontrollable sobbing from Eren's side.

It feels like the room is closing in around him, and Eren just wishes he could black out, but he has no such luck. Instead, he can hear the man in front of him laughing, seemingly amused as he watches Eren sink into a downward spiral of horror - but everything comes to a screeching halt when the door opens yet again. 

Eren's body stiffens in response, and he doesn't dare to make a sound. 

"Tough luck," the stranger comments. 

And Eren doesn't even have it in him to ask what that means. 

"Get the hell out of here," a deadly calm voice speaks, and Eren recognises that bit of familiarity in an instant. Although he in no way wants to (and probably shouldn't) feel that way, it's almost as if he's relieved to hear Levi's voice. Up until the point where he realises that he's chained up, covered in blood, and about to be left alone with a vampire who apparently has a thing for his blood. 

He wants to believe that the man isn't going to abuse that position of power, badly. But in all honesty, Eren cannot imagine it. If trying to kill Levi has something to do with being in this position at all, then he's the one who's pulling the strings here. 

Then he's the one who gets to kill Eren, probably. 

After the command, the nameless man lets go of the collar of Eren's pullover, and it feels disgusting when the fabric instantly clings to the drying blood of his wounds. Nevertheless, the lack of pressure on his neck allows him to take a few deep breaths, and Eren almost misses it when the door closes. 

Levi is different than him; he's so quiet that Eren cannot hear his footsteps, and it leaves him utterly clueless as to where the man currently is. 

Until he starts speaking. 

"I didn't take you for the type, Princess. What in the world made you think that walking into a vampire bar with a bottle of vampire blood could possibly be a good idea? You actually do have a deathwish, don't you?" 

Levi's voice may be calm, but somehow it's more terrifying than ever before. 

Eren takes anther deep breath, and tries his best to calm down at least a little bit, hoping that he can get a sentence out that makes sense. 

"I don't even know why I'm here, and I don't know anything about vampire blood. But it hurts, that man, he," Eren a stops before continuing, finding it hard to get the words out, "he cut me up. I didn't do anything and he just..." 

And then he starts sobbing all over again, the weight of it all crashing down on him. 

"Don't play innocent, kid," Levi comments, apparently unaffected. 

Eren feels his cold hand on his then, and flinches, trying to get away from the touch. He expects to be slapped, or grabbed. But instead, Levi undoes the blindfold, and Eren's breath catches in his throat as it falls off his face, revealing the unnaturally bright eyes. 

There's a clear warning in them, not a hint of comfort to be found. The vampire doesn't look amused or particularly touched, and Eren hates him for looking so apathetic in this whole situation. 

Still, he cannot tear his eyes away. 

"You need to tell me the whole truth right now. Who are you working for an where the hell did you get the blood from? This blood." 

He holds the bottle out that Eren faintly recognises as the one the girl gave him earlier. 

As Levi speaks, it becomes pretty evident what he's doing. Instead of torture, Levi uses his ability to manipulate Eren, and it forces him to open his mouth. He doesn't even think as he starts speaking, entirely lost in the predatory gaze.

"A girl gave it to me. I came here to ask people about my mom because you wouldn't tell me. So I went to her, and we talked. She gave that to me when a man entered, told me to meet her outside in two minutes and return it," he says, the words falling out of his lips like it's the most natural thing in the world. "I don't work for anybody, and I don't know why she'd give that to me. Are you going to kill me?" 

Levi stares at him for a bit longer, and eventually his features soften a little bit. 

"You're damn lucky I made it here so fast. Someone else might have. You need to calm down, alright? How did that girl look. Every detail." 

Eren nods, and it almost feels good, not having to do any thinking because his body is just reacting to what it knows it has to do. He even calms down when Levi tells him to, as if a switch is flicked, or a drug injected.

"She was blonde, and had her hair in a bun. Smaller than me, but not overly thin. Light blue eyes, and a somewhat crooked nose. Pale. She kept looking around nervously, and felt insulted when I asked her if she was a vampire." 

A look that could either be recognition or maybe just a normal frown overcomes the vampires face as he takes in the information. 

"Show me your wounds," he commands, the gravity of his words not weakening once. Eren feels the need to obey, and struggles against the handcuffs. 

"I can't - my hands.. They're right here," he motions in the direction with his chin, and Levi's eyes follow the movement. All of a sudden, a bit of anxiety is back again despite the earlier command. As if Eren's brain in screaming in some faraway corner about how wrong it is for the vampire to be gently removing the fabric of his pullover in order to get a better look at the cuts on his neck. 

Everything about this situation screams danger, and yet Eren doesn't have it in him to struggle against it.

Eren is overly aware of every touch, and he winces when the clothing gets stuck on the blood as it's being removed. 

"They're deep," Levi comments and leans in to fucking smell Eren. He only manages to nod weakly in response, his head dizzy and body exhausted. As fingertips run across the cuts, his heart nearly stops. 

With a movement that's too quick for Eren's tear stained eyes to even process, the vampires hand rises up to his mouth, and Eren watches from too close up as fangs sink into the pale skin, tearing a hole right where his artery is located. He watches this with a strange sort of detachment, as though it's a weird nightmare that doesn't affect him as much as it should. 

The passive, dreamlike feeling comes to an abrupt halt at Levi's next command however. 

"Drink," he says, and Eren's mouth falls open, but every part of him fights the order. He's able to keep himself from immediately complying, but the pull to do as the vampire says is so strong that even breathing is hard.

Nevertheless, he manages to open his mouth. The only word he gets out is a confused and terrified sounding, "what?"

"I'll help you heal. We can't let you walk out like this and have you going to the police, so fucking do as I say," Levi replies, sounding on edge all of a sudden, and maybe it has something to do with the fact that there's blood running down his wrist, dropping to the floor. 

Eren wants to argue with him, to tell him to fuck off, but he's physically incapable of doing anything other than leaning closer, and opening his mouth as Levi presses the open wound right to his lips. 

The taste of blood nearly has Eren gagging at first, as his tongue dares to drag across the mess of blood and damaged skin. His mouth is dry, and when he instinctively starts to lap at it like a kitten, Eren has to close his eyes.

Both out of disgust and shame. 

And because once he drinks down the first few drops, he almost feels like he's getting greedy for more of it. His lips press tightly to Levi's wrist, and Eren truly feels like he has lost what little is left of his mind when he starts to suck the vampire's blood right out of him. He feels possessed, unable to keep himself from making noises as more and more of the substance runs down his throat. 

"Look at me," he hears from above him, and that's what Eren does. 

He isn't sure what to make of that command, because what he sees when he looks up is all kinds of confusing. Levi has his cold eyes fixed on him, watching as Eren literally drinks from him.

He's sure he looks horrible, with vampire blood all over his lips and cheeks, but the way Levi's pupils are wide like the moon doesn't really confirm that suspicion. If anything, he looks at Eren like he is seriously into this. 

And that knowledge terrifies Eren on a different level altogether, but it isn't enough to make him stop either. Straining against the handcuffs, he presses himself closer against cold skin, sucks harder and keeps up the eye contact, though his eyes wander down to Levi's fangs for a second as the vampire's mouth opens without making as much as a noise. 

And Eren feels like an addict. Despite his better judgement, he keeps following the impulse to continue, as if a part of him is planning to actually suck Levi dry. He breathes in through his nose, and the frequency of his breaths only keeps increasing. 

"Stop." 

He doesn't listen, just keeps looking Levi right in the eyes as he laps at the wound still. 

"Eren. If you don't want an accident to happen right now, you better stop," Levi repeats, and Eren's mind cannot when comprehend what kind of accident he could possibly be referring to. His tone betrays that the fact that maybe it is better of that way, however. Levi looks pretty out of it, not as cold and unaffected as he usually does, and there's almost a sort of triumph in it.

He runs his tongue across the wound one more time, and licks his lips when he finally manages to tear himself away. 

Only for the reality of it all to sink in. 

Eren's eyes widen as he realises what just happened, what he did. He closes his eyes again, and tries his best to prevent a freakout from happening, but it's kind of hard when he's tied up to a wall, and just drank a vampire's blood like some sick, perverted freak. He should probably mention this in therapy, but at the same time he doesn't feel like mentioning this to anyone. At all. Ever. 

"That was disgusting you damn asshole! God, your blood tastes like shit. You could have just killed me, now I have to live with this fucking trauma!" he yells, and is surprised at how strong his voice comes out. Like he hasn't been locked up and tortured and screaming. 

"You're feeling better now, I take it, then? And sorry princess, but you realise that the order to drink wore off after 5 seconds? Didn't think you'd be so into it though." 

Eren indeed feels better. Good enough to try and kill the bastard all over again. 

"Fuck off, you're lying! Let me go. And I was not 'into it,' no one in their right mind is into drinking blood!" 

"I am," Levi comments with a sardonic smirk on his lips. 

"Let me go! I don't know what the hell your delusion is, get those damn handcuffs off of me." 

Levi eyes him for a moment, and Eren isn't sure what to make of that look. He half expects the asshole to try and bury his fangs in his neck, but no such thing happens, thankfully. 

"Depends. Do you promise to behave? Because as far as the others know, you're as good as dead, so they aren't going to hesitate. And I'm not going to kill my friends just because you couldn't keep your damn mouth shut. If you manage to quietly walk beside me, I'm taking you home."

"You're not coming anywhere near my home!" Eren shouts before the first part of the sentence registers. He clenches his jaw in annoyance, but convinces himself to agree. Because as much as he hates the vampire, he's still not exactly safe. 

For all he knows, Levi could leave him here if he disagrees. 

"Fine. I'll play nice." 

"I'll believe it when I see it," the vampire comments, finally taking a few steps back and getting the key for the handcuffs from a drawer. When the shackles come undone, Eren's legs can barely support his body weight, and he wants to spit Levi in the face when he goes out of his way to help him stand as though he's some damn gentleman.

After a few embarrassing seconds, he tears himself away from the hold, and steps forward, rubbing his wrists. 

"Walk behind me, and don't pull any shit." 

"Yeah, yeah." 

Levi walks through the door first, and Eren glances over his shoulder, sort of hiding behind him, to see that it leads into another back room of sorts, but this one isn't empty. There are five people in there he can see, and he's pretty sure that more than half of them aren't human, which instantly has him stiffening. 

"You killed the little bitch? He's your favorite blood type," one asks. 

"If you didn't, I'd love to have some fun with him," a woman's voice comments. 

"He's one of them, isn't he? Maybe if we made a show of killing him, it'll make them piss their pants," yet another person asks. And Eren is torn between anger and fear, once more. All he can do is remind himself of what Levi said; he truly doesn't want to end up being murdered by either of them just because he couldn't keep his mouth shut at the disgusting comments.

"No one's killing him. Or touching him. He's mine, and he's got nothing to do with the trafficking, so shut the hell up," Levi speaks up and Eren cannot believe what he's saying, wanting to argue despite the earlier warning. He is in no way, shape, or form Levi's. 

And his body is definitely not reacting to that trainwreck of an announcement with any type of excitement whatsoever, no way. 

And moreover, he isn't glad to be offered a hand by the raven - because there's no way this asshole is making him feel safe. Or maybe he's now losing it entirely, because taking a hold of Levi's hand has him feeling just a tiny bit safer.


	5. Red Wine

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (not sure if I mentioned this, but the title is inspired by the song Nightlife by Iamx.)
> 
> Thank you all so much for reading this, honestly.

Eren's room is dark, almost unnaturally so. The only hint of faraway brightness comes from the stained glass in his door, the yellow of the artificial light making the colors of the mosaic look warmer than they do in the daylight. It's just enough to have a vague sense of his room.

It's a noise from downstairs that woke him up, something that sounded suspiciously like porcelain hitting the floor and shattering into a million pieces. Why that even managed to wake Eren up, he cannot say for certain. Usually, Eren sleeps right through any kind of noise. 

But a somewhat anxious feeling is present inside of him, making his heart beat a little faster. 

"Mikasa?" he shouts. 

When there's no reply, he tries again. 

"Dad?" 

But it's not like his father is ever home; Eren really isn't expecting a reply from him.

He pulls his heavy blanket off his body, and shivers at the loss of warmth. A light beige shirt hanging over the edge of his chair is all the clothing he puts on, though the thin fabric and his boxer shorts are by no means enough to prevent a shiver from traveling across his skin as he heads towards the light. 

As expected, the hallway is empty. 

With each step he takes on his way down the staircase, there's an accompanying sound of creaking wood. Eren has walked the stairs so many times that he knows exactly which noise which step will cause. Thirteen stairs - the last step is quiet. As always. 

And yet, something about the situation feels foreign, a little off. He cannot tell what time it is, only that the night is deadly quiet, no cars or other noise to be heard from anywhere. If the lights downstairs weren't on, Eren would surely be able to convince himself that he imagined the sound of shattering porcelain. It doesn't sound like anyone is in the kitchen, preparing food or tea; and he cannot hear the sound of a running TV either. 

He briefly considers the idea that one of the stray cats in the area could have broken in - but that wouldn't explain the light. 

Or did Eren leave that on? 

He cannot for the life of him recall what he did before going to sleep. So there's a good chance he's just being stupid, scared in his family's own house. It feels a bit like being a child again, although back then he could just crawl in his parents' bed when the darkness terrified him. 

Now, it's the light that's scary to him. Strange how things sometimes chance with time. 

"Mikasa?" he tries again, although his voice doesn't come out as loud, almost as if he doesn't want anyone to hear him.

Eren takes a step forward to investigate, and pushes the kitchen door wider open slowly, as if expecting a jump scare.

Instead, he finds the kitchen empty. 

A single light is on, in the corner of the room. Wanting to investigate further, he steps inside, only for hands to appear out of nowhere, and push him back against a hard chest. 

"Careful, there are shards on the floor," a deep voice tells him. 

And instead of freaking out, screaming or trying to free himself, Eren slowly looks down on the floor in front of him to confirm it. There's indeed a shattered wine glass, lying in a pool of red. He eyes it for a minute or so, trying to figure out how that happened. 

Before he realises that he's still being held, which means that someone's in here with him. 

Levi; Eren recognised the voice. 

"Thanks," he says, his breath coming out as a stutter. 

He's about to turn around when a pale hand appears from behind him, holding yet another wine glass.

"I've already got you another. Red and semi dry, just as you like it," Levi chuckles.

Eren isn't the type of person to drink wine in the first place, but he somehow doesn't argue - instead he takes the glass from the man, and brings it to his lips before he can question the action. The glass is thin and cold against his lips, and he lifts it carefully, taking a small sip of the bordeaux-colored liquid. 

It's a little bitter, but just sweet enough for him to not make a face at the taste. The alcohol doesn't burn, and he swallows once before lifting the glass up again for a larger sip. 

"It's good," he comments, the glass already half empty. 

"Drink up then, Princess," Levi whispers back at him, almost straight into his ear. The words have Eren shivering all over again, and he does as he's told, not even bothering to complain about the nickname. Whispered in that way, it sounds... almost nice. 

Unfamiliar, but not unwelcome. 

He finishes the glass, and lets Levi take it from him. The man places it on the shelf beside them, still standing behind Eren, their bodies close.

"We should get you back in bed, you're shivering," Levi comments. 

Eren wordlessly nods in response, and allows the vampire to take him by the hand. It almost feels like being lead to a dance floor; there's something artistic about the way Levi is holding his hand. Eren doesn't comment on the fact that the light is still on, or the broken glass on the white floor. 

He finally turns around, and cannot help but stare at the man, at how very close he is. He allows himself to look at all of the features he's kept his eyes away from up until now, perhaps deliberately so. From his strong jaw to his straight nose, and down to his lips - Eren cannot help but keep his eyes there for a while, until the barest hint of a smirk pulls the corners up. 

Eren snaps out of it then. 

"Your lips look pretty like this, all stained with wine," Levi says to him and it has Eren's heart racing, his fingers coming up to touch his own lips out of reflex. He wonders if this is Levi's way of telling him that he was caught staring - or maybe it's a genuine compliment. 

It's hard to tell.

"Come on," Levi isn't using his strict voice, it sounds more like a suggestion than anything. And Eren has no objections whatsoever, doesn't ask how Levi knows the way to his room. He just does. The familiar melody of the creaking stairs resonates as the two of them walk up then. 

They're in Eren's room before he knows it, Levi's eyes glowing with the lack of light as he closes the door. The brunette stands beside him, watching again. Although his eyes don't allow him to see much, just the sight of the silver-looking pools are enough for Eren to let himself drown a little bit. 

Levi is the one who moves first, passing Eren as he walks over to his bed, and sits down. All Eren can do is follow him, and he sits down beside the vampire, his bare feet dangling just above the floor. Once more, curious eyes find their way to Levi's, though Eren looks away the second he realises that he's staring again. He doesn't realise it very fast though. 

"Your lack of subtlety is endearing, Princess. I can hear your heart racing, are you nervous?"

"Sorry, your eyes just fascinate me," Eren admits to him, voice small. "I'm not nervous," he adds, though he isn't entirely sure. Maybe he's a bit nervous, for reasons his brain fails to comprehend. He probably should be nervous, with a vampire in his room, on his bed.

But if at all, then that's definitely not the reasoning behind why he's a bit... alarmed.

"You can stare all you want," Levi gives permission, and their gazes meet, making Eren shiver all over again. They sit there silently, and the boy is acutely aware of the space in between them, which he can feel rather than see. 

Eren bites his lips, not sure whether to say something or not; he feels like he might say something stupid if he opens his mouth now. It's unusual, because he isn't quite the type to think before speaking. 

"I'll.. put on a candle. It's sort of unfair how you can see me, but I cannot see you," he babbles when the need to fill the silence becomes too heavy. 

Reaching over to search for the pack of matches and a vanilla scented candle on his nightstand, he regrets his the decision as soon as the candle flickers to life. Levi is right in front of him, watching Eren's every movement, and his gaze is something between predatory and deadly calm. Eren swallows, his throat suddenly very dry. 

The soft scent of his candle almost seems to mock him. 

The shadows cast by the flickering flame frame Levi's face in a way that has him looking much more human - much warmer. Eren almost wants to reach out and touch him, wants his skin to feel as warm as it looks. 

Wants his heart to beat along with Eren's. It's so easy like this, to make himself believe that they're not that different after all. Levi looks so very human in this moment, on his bed. 

He's reaching out before he realises what he's doing, the mattress shifting along with his weight as he leans forward, wanting to feel if Levi's skin is as soft as it looks. 

It is; for a moment, Levi looks just as stunned as Eren. Tanned fingers travel along his jawline with a featherlight touch, like a blind person trying to create an map in their head. Eren doesn't know what possesses him, but he leans even closer, and continues his exploration until his fingers end up at the back of Levi's neck, where the feeling of his shaved hair has Eren taking in a stuttering breath. 

He doesn't even notice that Levi's skin isn't warm, or maybe he doesn't want to.

It doesn't matter. 

"Eren," the man whispers when their gazes meet. 

"Huh?" 

"Can I touch you?" he asks, and it's only at that moment that Eren realises the barely concealed fire in the vampire's eyes. He stares, transfixed, and finds himself nodding without a word.

That appears to be all the confirmation Levi needs, and within seconds, the space in between them shrinks as Levi straight up grabs Eren by his ribcage, and pulls him close with such strength and speed that Eren feels like he's on some sort of roller coaster, his stomach flipping over. He's got one leg angled above Levi's, while the other is on the blanket. The position has his shorts pushed up, revealing more skin than they already exposed before.

And then, there's Levi. Although their faces are just inches apart, Eren cannot keep himself from dumbly gazing down at his body. His grey, short sleeved shirt allows Eren to drink up the image of his strong arms, the muscles in them casting soft shadows.

He's also incredibly aware of the fact that he's nearly sitting on Levi's lap now. The vampire hasn't let go of him yet, but his hands have dropped down to his lower back, just above his ass. The touch has Eren stunned, unsure what to make of that development.

"This is - you're very... close," Eren states, his voice shy once more. He's never shared his space with anyone in this way, and he absolutely does not want Levi to know that. With his many years of being alive, the vampire has probably done things with and to people that Eren couldn't dream up, even if he tried. 

"You don't really seem to mind," Levi replies with a grin, fangs showing. 

That's when it hits Eren. 

"Does it make you.. hungry when you're close to me?" he asks, not sure how else he's supposed to ask what he really wants to. He doesn't necessarily mean hungry - what he's asking himself is how much he affects the man, and in which ways. Turquoise eyes get stuck on sharp teeth, and the lips surrounding them. 

"You have no idea," he says as Eren watches his pale lips move. One hand leaves Eren's back, and travels along the side of his hip, across the fabric of his boxer shorts, and from his upper leg to his knee. 

Eren can't help it, he whimpers a the touch, closing his eyes. 

"It seems almost like being close to me, makes you hungry as well, Princess," the vampire comments, his hand traveling back up, goosebumps following it. How it went from just sitting beside each other to this, Eren fails to recall. All he knows is that the words serve to excite him, or maybe it's the touches; probably, it's both.

That nickname doesn't sound annoying at all in this moment. 

Eren wets his lips, and reaches out to let his own hand run down the clothed chest, the pace of his breaths increasing as he notices that Levi isn't breathing at all. Of course he's not. 

"You have no idea," he copies what the man just said, and the two of them share one short but definitely meaningful look. 

"Try and show me," Levi challenges and Eren follows his instinct, finds himself leaning forward once more, shifting more of his weight on the raven's lap. He closes his eyes, and prays that he doesn't mess this up, before searching for Levi's lips with his own, desperate to know what they taste and feel like. 

For one moment, their lips just brush against one another. Levi's are cold and unmoving while Eren's breath is hot against them, the taste of wine still in his mouth. 

And then, not a second later, there's anything but stillness. 

The innocent brushing of lips turns into an overwhelming experience as Eren is pushed down, pinned to the mattress, rendered useless. Above him, Levi seems to be done with the careful and innocent touches, and he grabs Eren's hair to tilt his head to the side and gain proper access to his mouth, almost violently. 

All of that happens in the span of maybe two seconds, and Eren is still coming to terms with being pushed down by the time Levi is already coaxing his lips to move along with his. A moan is shared between the two of them, but Eren is pretty sure that it's his doing. 

Chemicals are flooding his brain, like what being high on a strong drug for the very first time must feel like. It's as if he cannot even believe that he's capable of feeling this exhilarated. There's no need to believe anything so; every part of him is so on board with this that it's astonishing. His body seems adamant to convey as much to the other.

He digs his nails into Levi's back, and tries his best to keep up with the insane pace he's setting. 

"Eren!"

The voice doesn't sound like Levi at all, and for a second he's afraid that someone just walked in on them. Someone who sounds suspiciously like Mikasa...

"Eren! Wake up! Your boss just called me because your phone is turned off, you're supposed to work an early shift at the cinema today!" 

It's the worst way of waking up, but there's not really any good way to wake up from a dream like this because what the actual fuck. 

Eren shoots into a sitting position, panicked eyes looking around his room to find that daylight is falling in through the half closed curtains, and there's no hint of a vampire. Only Mikasa staring at him and looking pretty damn annoyed. 

"You can't just keep turning your damn phone off, asshole! I was worried about you all evening, and I don't even know when the hell you actually decided to return, I was awake until like, 4 in the morning waiting for a sign that you're still alive," she continues her rant. 

Which begs the question of when and how Eren actually did return. He remembers what a mess yesterday has been - the horrible things he has seen, not seen, and felt, and the panic of being deeply convinced that he'll never return home. 

Until Levi showed up, and...

Eren gags as he remembers just what happened. He recalls the taste of iron in his mouth, the loss of self control that somehow followed it, and how Levi lead him out of the back rooms of the vampire bar, with various eyes glued to them. The comments are still in his mind too, and how mad he was when he heard Levi's declaration.

But he'd kept quiet and followed, unwilling to risk a repeat of what happened before. 

And apparently Levi brought him home after that? That last part is too blurry for him to recall, and all he knows is that he can in no way deal with what happened. 

Or with that dream. Especially with that dream, and the lasting effect it has on Eren's body. He's sure his cheeks are burning a bright red. 

By now, Mikasa is giving Eren a weird look. 

"Are you even listening?" 

He groans, and stretches, astonished at the lack of pain he's feeling. With everything that went down not too many hours ago, Eren cannot believe that he's even able to move, or turn his head without wincing. 

"I'm sorry, my battery was dead," he says, unsure if that's true. In fact, Eren has no idea where his cell phone is at all. Or his wallet. He can only assume that it was taken from him, and hope that it was somehow returned, but he doubts Levi would be that considerate. 

"I was out," he says when Mikasa continues to look at him, clearly demanding more information, "with a girl." 

It's a lie of course, but the only plausible one Eren can come up with in his state. He technically was talking to a girl... like, five sentences? It's just that that girl ended up handing him a bottle of vampire blood, and he nearly got himself killed for it. It still sounds too surreal for him to believe, although that damn sure wasn't a dream.

"Next time, at least leave a note or something. Armin told me that you were thinking about hunting down the vampire from the bar. I was worried you might actually try something like that," she says, and Eren stiffens at the mention of Levi. 

He still can't believe what they did in that dream; it felt so utterly, convincingly real. Almost more lucid than being awake does.

"That damn traitor," he mutters, referring to Armin who went ahead and talked to Mikasa again (this happened way too often), "I'm not stupid, Mikasa. Why the hell would I even try to get close to a vampire, I don't have a death wish!" 

The irony is that his own stupidity hits him the moment he says that, the last evening on replay in his mind. Despite the fake confidence in his voice, he's aware of just how much of a close call that was. If Levi had shown up any later... 

No. He refuses to feel as if he somehow owes Levi anything for helping him. The bastard made him drink his fucking blood, and in a twisted sense, it's his fault Eren went to the bar in the first place. And it definitely isn't Eren's fault that Levi surrounds himself with people who throw punches when in doubt. Or more like, torture people - innocent people.

The feeling of literally being cut up replays in his mind's eye, and the urge to gag is back again. He thankfully manages to keep his face from showing it.

"I'm not sure I believe you. I'm just glad you're okay. I'm making breakfast, and you should hurry, you've gotta be at the cinema in an hour," Mikasa informs him as she walks to the door, giving Eren another one of those strangely knowing looks. 

He has half a mind to check his neck for bite marks, and does so the moment she's out the door, rushing to his mirror. 

Nothing. Just confusion.

He doesn't remember changing into sleeping clothes, and Eren cannot describe to himself how in the world there are no wounds or scars on his body. Even when he peels the white shirt off himself and turns around to check his entire body for proof of what happened yesterday, there's nothing to be found. Not even a bruise marks him.

All of this has him questioning his sanity, which in turn makes him mad.

Eren feels like punching something, preferably something called Levi that should have been dead years ago and is somehow still walking the planet and now apparently wandering through his dreams. He has so much information to go through that this is all he can focus on for now, how fucking annoying that damn vampire is. 

With his stupid fangs, and his stupid, fucked up ability to control minds. 

He prays that Levi didn't enter his house. And that Eren ended up undressing himself, because if Levi actually was in his room and somehow changed him into his sleep clothes, he's going to try and stake him again, no matter how low the chance of success. He just can't believe how his dream self could have possibly been so compliant, and worse yet - into all of it. 

But Eren neither has the time to, nor wants to think about that. He usually likes being on the early shift, but today it's a bit of a shitty surprise. Pixis, the owner of the cinema, is known for his spontaneous schedule changes. Or maybe it's not so much him as it Jean. His damn coworker who calls in 'sick' or has 'important things to do and can't make it' what feels like at least once a weak. 

Eren looks around to search for the clothes he wore yesterday, hoping that maybe at least the wallet is somewhere to be found. Replacing everything in there would be a pain in the ass. He spots the clothing items folded on his chair, and to Eren's pleasant surprise, both his cellphone and the wallet are lying on top of the clothes. He's more than thankful that Mikasa didn't see any of that, because his turtleneck clearly hasn't recovered in the same way he has. Dry blood is sticking to the fabric, mixed with dirt, and there are holes in the sleeves. It's ruined, like Eren was hours ago. 

He unceremoniously shoves it into a corner under his bed (where it'll have to wait until the day the trash gets collected because he has no idea how he would explain that to Mikasa), and plugs his phone in, before sitting down to check the contents of his wallet. Sure enough, nothing is missing. Not even the bit of change he had in it. 

The screen of his phone lights up beside him, and true to her word, Mikasa tried to call him 17 times, and sent him 9 messages. There's another message from Armin, 20 from their group chat, and one that Eren's eyes are glued to, from a number he hasn't saved. 

Apparently, the number on the note did burn itself into his brain from all the hateful staring. He has a text from Levi. That's the one he opens first, because he can already guess the content of the other messages anyway. What Levi could possibly have to say to him, that's a different story altogether.

He received that last one at 5:37 AM. And cannot fucking believe his eyes as they make out the three words.

'Sweet dreams, Princess.'


End file.
